This Week in Aviation History: March 10th

NACA test pilot Herbert Henry Hoover becomes the first civilian to exceed the speed of sound.

March 10, 1948

He flies his No. 2 Bell XS-1 to a speed of 703 mph and the chicks … well they probably dig it. “Triple H” also had to be the most alliterated pilot in flight history, on top of the whole speed of sound thing.

Famous aviator Chuck Yeager had already become the first person to break the sound barrier in level flight a year prior. Hoover was a mechanical engineer who joined the NACA test pilot program in 1940. It certainly wasn’t smooth sailing for the young pilot either: On two occasions Hoover experienced close calls in flight, once gashing his head when the canopy of his plane broke loose and, another time, having the fuel tank of his P-51 punctured by an attached test model.

Exhibiting clear wherewithal and an instinct for survival, Hoover was chosen as chief test pilot at the NACA Langley Memorial Laboratory and his status there would later lead to him being chosen as test pilot for NACA’s speed of sound engagements.

This Week in Aviation History

3/10/08

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